A New Canvas
by Portia Adams
Summary: An AJ/Elizabeth story based on GH's storylines on Dec. 12. The only change is the Nurses Ball is being spearheaded by a slightly SORAS-ed Cameron Webber and Emma Drake. Two very damaged people work to overcome their issues and find love in General Hospital!
1. Chapter 1

_I loved the Dec. 11 scenes between AJ and Elizabeth and think there's lots of great story there. This is a take off of GH from Dec. 12. The only change? A slightly SORAS-ed Emma and Cameron are the driving force behind the Nurses Ball._

AJ stared at the list in front of him. No matter how he crunched the numbers, as long as Carly was in charge of Michael's shares he didn't see how he could wrest control of ELQ away from Tracy. Even with Sam. And Sam wasn't a given.

"Uh, Mr. AJ?" Alice asked as she poked her head around the library door.

"Alice, please just call me AJ."

"Um, okay. There's some visitors here to see you...AJ." He had to hide his smile.

Maybe Michael? AJ wondered hopefully. With Starr? "Okay, send them in."

Two rather weather tossed tweens walked into the library. "Well...hello," AJ said, completely unsure who these children were or why they had come to see him.

"Hi, Mr. Quartermaine. I'm Emma Drake and this is my friend, Cameron. Cameron Webber." The little brunette brushed her hair back off her face and stared right at him with determined brown eyes.

Now AJ was even more perplexed. "Cameron Webber? Elizabeth's son?"

"You know my mom?" the boy answered back.

AJ smiled at him. He could see Elizabeth, a little. He remembered she'd had a baby just before...just before he'd went away. Emily had been as excited as if she was the one having the baby. "My sister and your mom were best friends. I think Elizabeth spent as much time in this house as she did at her own when they were in high school." The boy shuffled his feet and looked around. "I don't think I know you, Emma."

"I think you know, you knew," her voice grew husky as she corrected the verb tense, "my mom too. Robin. Robin Scorpio."

The small stature, the brown hair, that penetrating stare. Of course Emma was Robin's daughter. AJ sat back down again. Robin Scorpio married and dead. "I heard about Robin. I'm so sorry, Emma. Your mom...your mom was one of the strongest people I've ever known."

"Well, we need your help," Cameron chimed him when he saw the look on his best friend's face. "When our moms were young the hospital had a Nurse's Ball to raise money for HIV and AIDS."

"The Nurses Ball? Of course! It was always one of the most..." think of a kid appropriate adjective, Quartermaine, he reminded himself, "interesting times of the year. My whole family used to perform. Even I performed!"

Emma nodded, steadying herself again. "You know my mom was HIV positive?"

AJ nodded again.

"Well, we want to bring the ball back. To...honor my mom." Emma started talking faster. "But it's really expensive, and General Hospital has had a cutbacks because of the recession, you've heard about the recession? And so we have to ask people and so...we thought we'd ask you."

These two were what, eleven? Did eleven year olds plan huge fundraising events that used to end with Lucy Coe naked on stage?

"How OLD are you?" AJ finally asked.

"Cameron's eleven and I just turned ten," Emma answered. "But we know what we're doing. Its important. And we need your help."

"Emma's smart," Cameron interjected. "She's good at stuff like this. She can always think of things to make my little brother happy, and she can even do my homework, even though I'm in another grade."

Did Michael do things like this when he was eleven? He didn't know. But he looked at them and saw a very young Emily and Lucky plotting their latest escapade, he saw Robin steeling herself to tell him the truth about Michael...and he saw Elizabeth Webber's eyes as she told him to stay away from Sonny.

"Okay, tell me your plans."

An hour passed by the time Cameron and Emma finished telling him their plans for the Nurses Ball. Parts of the telling required them to act out their plans. He never laughed. Really, their plans weren't bad. They'd need tweaking and bringing down to reality, but they weren't bad.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Emma and Cameron asked together.

"Okay, I'll give you the start-up money. And I'll help you find other people to help you." AJ realized it was getting darker. "Do your parents know where you are?" A guilty look passed between the kids. "Oh God. Come with me, I'll drive you home." He tossed Emma his cell phone. "And call them, please, before I get arrested for kidnapping.

Neither Elizabeth nor Dr. Drake answered their phones. Great, AJ thought, what he needed was to be driving around with other people's kids when their parents didn't know where they were.

They pulled up to a pretty Colonial right behind a slightly older car. Elizabeth got out. "Elizabeth..."

"AJ?" she said, stunned. Her mind reeled. Why was AJ Quartermaine standing in her driveway next to a giant SUV? Did he want the picture back?

Cameron and Emma clambered out from the back seat. "What? Why?"

"We rode our bikes, Elizabeth. It was my idea. Don't be mad at Cameron. We told Alyssa we were going to the library..."

"YOU RODE YOUR BIKES ALL THE WAY TO THE QUARTERMAINES?"

Every intersection, busy road, dangerous crossing flashed through her mind. They were good bike riders, yes, but it was so far to the mansion. Elizabeth fell against her car a little bit. They could've been hit so many times. No one knew where they had gone. They could've been laying in a ditch and no one would've even known where to look for them. That sinking feeling hit her, like the world was slowly closing in on her and the air was be squeezed from her lungs.

"I'm not Jake, Mom. I know now not to run out in the street just because no ones watching me," Cameron told her with a sneer AJ could hear.

"Cameron!" Emma cried. "Don't be mad, Aunt Lizzie. We did it for the Nurses Ball. We thought Dr. Quartermaine would help us, but she wasn't there. So we talked with AJ and he said he'd help us. I didn't think about scaring you."

"Emma, Cameron, why don't you guys get your bikes out of the back of the truck and I'm going to help Elizabeth in the house." He put his hand under her elbow and led her towards the house. The color literally drained from her face when Cameron taunted her about Jake. He reconsidered his opinion of the boy.

Elizabeth let herself be led into the house. "He hates me. He blames me. For Jake."

"Who is Jake?" AJ asked gently.

Elizabeth looked up at him, horrified. She'd never dreamed he didn't know. Hadn't Monica filled him on her horribleness?

"He was your nephew and it's my fault he's dead."


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" AJ sputtered.

Elizabeth looked back at him, aghast. "You didn't know? Then why did you give me the picture?"

"Elizabeth?" A voice called from the doorway. "Are you all right? Emma told me about the excellent adventure she took Cam on."

AJ turned away to gather his thoughts and saw a picture on the mantel. A picture of Elizabeth with three children. The biggest child was obviously Cameron, and the youngest such a young baby its strongest resemblance was to Winston Churchill. But the middle child had blond hair with an out of control cowlick and mischievous blue eyes.

"Mama!" a little voice cried out from behind the man and came barreling into Elizabeth's arms. "No snack! Hungry!"

"It's okay, Aiden. It's almost dinner time." Elizabeth responded while pulling the little boy's coat off. How old was he? Two? Three? AJ guessed. This was not the bright eyed boy from the picture. This must be the older version of the baby.

"I'm AJ Quartermaine," he finally offered.

"Patrick Drake." Patrick took the stranger in. The resemblance between Jason and his brother was strong. He'd heard several horrible things about this man, but one thing stuck in his mind. AJ Quartermaine was as anti-mob as Patrick himself. And, according to Emma, was willing to underwrite the Nurses Ball. Ah, hell, everyone made mistakes. Who was he to judge? "You've made my daughter a very happy girl."

"They seem like great kids. I didn't know they'd caused such turmoil by showing up at my house."

"Yes, well. Liz, they told Alyssa they were going to ride their bikes. They left out where they going. When they didn't come back she took Aiden over to my house to look for them." From what Emma had told him Cameron had bit into Liz about Jake. Again. "Why don't I take Cam to dinner with us, and let you and Quatermaine here finish your conversation."

Elizabeth was thrilled with the offer, and hated herself for it. Emma was either at their house or Cam was over at the Drakes, or both families merged together most nights. It was easier. They could avoid the huge, gaping hole in the middle of their lives and Cam could avoid addressing the fact he blamed his mother for his little brother's death.

Patrick knew what Elizabeth was thinking. What Elizabeth didn't know was that Patrick and Emma needed the distraction of Cam. When it was just them, Robin's absence loomed. Everything they did was about the fact Robin wasn't there. With Cam there, they could pretend to enjoy their new normal.

Elizabeth excused herself to see to her youngest and AJ took the oppurtunity to look at her photos. The blond boy appeared when Cameron was about pre-school age, AJ decided. Most of the pictures were of the dark-eyed older brother with the blue-eyed little brother. They grew up together. Then the baby appeared...and no more pictures of the boy who must be Jake. Whatever happened happened when the little boy, Aiden, was still a baby.

"Aiden's eating dinner and watching television, which is his biggest treat ever. We can talk," Elizabeth said in an unsteady voice.

"Jake was your son," AJ said gently, "with Jason?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded. "Yes...yes." She tried to explain about how it all came about...but that horrible emptiness at the pit of her being opened back up and the ability to put it into word failed her. Again. As it did every time she tried to really talk about Jake. And Jason. And Lucky...and the whole mess she'd somehow made of her life.

"And he died?"

"He...he got out the front door. I was distracted, I didn't think he could open the door but he was always getting into trouble. I should have known he could open the door...he got out. It was dark." She stopped for a ragged breath. "He was run over, and pronounced brain dead at the hospital."

AJ stared at her, feeling the horror in the spaces between the words. All the times he'd wished death and dismemberment on Jason for playing a part in taking Michael away from him he'd never wished this. No one should live through the death of their child. No one.

Then a horrible thought struck him. "Was it one of Jason and Sonny's enemies?"

She laughed, a terrible, cold laugh. "No. No, it wasn't. Jason stayed away from Jake for most of his life to keep him safe from their enemies. Jake was hit by..." she changed her mind at the last second "someone unconnected to them. It was just a freak accident. The person never even saw Jake."

Or stopped after he hit him. Or admitted he'd spent most of the last twelve years firmly ensconced in various alcohol bottles. Luke Spencer. She'd damn near hero worshipped him when she and Lucky were first together, and then after she thought Lucky was dead...where are we, she wondered suddenly. Where are all of us? Luke, me, Lucky...when did we stop being ourselves and start being strange characters who looked like and sometimes sounded like us but were never actually who we really are?

"Jason stayed away from Jake?" AJ asked, in a bewildered tone.

"To keep him safe. It worked out really well." She saw the look on AJ's face. "It was because of Michael, AJ." Did AJ know about Michael being shot and going to prison? She cursed her inability to stop talking. "Michael was shot, and then ended up going to prison, and..."

"Michael went to prison?"

"It's not my story, AJ, but it was bad. Jason went in on purpose to look after him, but..."

"So because my son was almost destroyed by the life everyone told me was so much better than being a Quartermaine, Jason decided to keep his son safe?"

Elizabeth nodded. "It didn't work. Jake still died. That's why Jason and Sam had a baby."

"For god's sake, Elizabeth! Michael was almost destroyed by Jason and Sonny's connections to the mob, but because Jake was killed in a random accident that proved the mob was safe?"

Elizabeth shrugged helplessly. Yes, she thought. Jake's random death showed everyone how horrible I was for keeping him away from his father. Safety's an illusion. Robin dies in a freak fire. Jake dies because she was reading the mail. Jason finally meets someone who can outshoot him. Her grief over her little boy cost Jason and Sam time with their son.

"NO. Random accidents happen, Elizabeth, and they are horrible. But the things that have happened to Michael weren't random. A good mother would look at Sonny and Jason's life and realize children should be no where near it. That's what you did."

"Mama!" came a little voice from another room. Elizabeth stood up.

"I have to go, Elizabeth, but...I hope I see you soon."

Elizabeth nodded, unable to say anything. Then she strangled back the unshed tears and headed into the den to play with her baby.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth stood in line at Kelly's, desperately needing the caffeine behind the counter. She missed working there for a moment, since it came with the privilege of going behind the counter and getting her own coffee.

Cameron had barely spoken to her after he came home from the Drakes'. She'd calmly told him why it was a bad idea for him and Emma to ride their bikes so far, especially since no one knew where they going, and that they had been inconsiderate to Lyssa. He'd mumbled an apology and said he and Emma would apologize to Lyssa and make it up to her by playing with Aiden all afternoon. It was as good as she was going to get.

Finally, she and Aiden found a table and she spread out their breakfasts. The first sip of coffee gave her hope she might make it through the day. The croissant made her think she might even find it enjoyable.

"Elizabeth?" a voice said from behind her.

"AJ, hi." she said.

"I just wanted to apologize again for last night. I should've checked that their parents knew where they were before I let them explain all their plans for the Nurses Ball." He hesitated next to her table, and she waved for him to sit down.

"If they are old enough to plan an incredibly complicated fundraiser, then they are old enough to know to check in."

"Their plans, they are very detailed and well thought out."

Elizabeth nodded. "Robin had all the Nurses Ball tapes, so the kids watched them. And Emma's awesome with the internet and Cam, actually, is a born planner. They are great kids," she said softly.

Aiden toddled off to the play area. "So...how did the charges against you get dropped?" Elizabeth asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

AJ smiled at her. "Faison. He was at the same clinic where Monica sent me." The color drained from Elizabeth's face. "Are you okay? Oh god, he was behind faking Lucky's death, wasn't he?"

"No, I mean yes, he was, but that's not...Do you know Olivia Falconari?"

"No."

How to explain this in anyway that makes sense? "She's...well, Heather Webber dosed her with LSD and one of the aftereffects is that its given her psychic visions."

"Psychic visions? Like Madame Cleo?" AJ failed at holding back his laughter.

Elizabeth grinned up at him. "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Anyway when she looked at Duke Lavery she saw Faison. Except she didn't know it was Faison, she just knew it was some crazy looking person. So she came to me and described him so I could draw the likeness...and AJ, the person she described was Faison. I knew it as soon as I finished the sketch, and Robert Scorpio recognized him, too."

"Even for Port Charles this is kind of out of control," AJ commented. Soon, their conversation drifted over to talk of the Nurses Ball. Where to have it, who might help, how to finance it.

"There's one person we are going to need." AJ finally said. "And...it's probably not going to make my mother happy."

"I'M working on it. Monica's already not going to be happy."

"What's up with that? Mom always liked you when you and Emily were friends." Elizabeth looked away, with that look like all the spirit had been drained from her body. "Jake." He said, realizing. Keeping Jake's paternity on the DL meant keeping him away from the Quartermaines. "And she blames you."

"I blame me. Your parents, your grandparents were always so good to me. But...Jake was kidnapped once just because someone thought Jason MIGHT be his father. I knew Edward wouldn't be able to deny Jake if he knew about him...I was scared. And because I was scared I denied them the chance to get to know Jake and vice versa. And I denied Jason that same chance."

AJ reached over to touch her hand. God, to watch a child a die when you had done so much to protect him, and then having to deal with the guilt. Her hand was soft underneath his, but...

"Good God, Elizabeth. This is fast even for you. We haven't even found Jason's body and you've already moved on to his loser brother? Oh, that's right, you have a thing for brothers, don't you?"

Elizabeth glared up at Carly, an angry retort at the tip of her tongue. She bit it back. "I hope Joss is doing well. Tell her I said Merry Christmas," was all she managed to get out before she grabbed her bag and headed over to collect Aiden.

"That's it, runaway. I'd run if I got caught hanging out with AJ, too!"

AJ stared at her, trying to see the vulnerable young woman who'd lived across the hall from him all those years ago. She wasn't there. In front of him was a woman who was used to getting her way, who had become accustomed to money and power.

No matter how she had obtained them.

"Glad to see your sparkly personality is still intact, Carly. And isn't a little ironic for you to judge someone else's history with brothers?"

After a long day at work, Elizabeth came home. Lyss told her the older two had done their homework and Aiden was building block towers before bouncing out the door. A warm, garlicky smell drifted from her kitchen.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Aunt Lizzie! Cam and I are making ziti. I found the recipe!"

"Smells delicious, Emma." Elizabeth responded, dropping a distracted kiss on the girl's brow. "Hey, Cam," she said, moving to do the same to her son, who sidestepped her. Emma noticed that Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly when Cam rebuffed her. Emma narrowed her eyes. It was bad enough that Cam didn't know how lucky he was that Aunt Lizzie was still alive. He could ruin her plan if he didn't stop acting like such a brat.

"You are SUCH a brat," she informed him under her breath.

"Shut up, Emma," Cam responded. Emma thought she knew all about parents just because her mom died and her dad was so awesome. Cam knew what his mom had done. He had proof, proof he'd never even share with Emma. It was his mom's fault Jake died and his dad left.

He'd never, ever forgive her.

"I hope chocolate cake goes with this dinner," Patrick said as came into the kitchen, where Emma and Cam were mixing a salad and Elizabeth was pulling a casserole dish from the oven.

"What dinner doesn't chocolate cake go with?" Elizabeth replied.

Soon they were all around the dining room table, going over their days. Emma, as usual, provided most of the conversation as she informed them about her spelling test, Cam's science test, and the block project they'd built with Aiden.

"Thanks for inviting us over," Patrick said as they dug into the chocolate cake.

Elizabeth looked up at him, quizzically. "Since when do you need an invitation? Anyway, the kids did all the work." After wiping off Aiden's face, where most of his cake had landed, Elizabeth brought up the Nurse's Ball. "I saw AJ Quartermaine today at Kelley's. He's really impressed with your plans."

"Really?" Cam asked.

Emma's eyes narrowed slightly. "Good. I'll email him some ideas Cam and I had today," Patrick and Elizabeth smiled at each other. Emma's emails were legendary. "Can we watch a movie tonight? There's Christmas movies on all the channels!"

"I don't know, honey. I bet Elizabeth is tired..."

Emma kicked Cam under the table. "Please, Mom, Emma and I really want to watch _Elf_."

Their parents gave in. Patrick started clearing the table ("those who cook shouldn't have to clean" he told them) while Elizabeth took Aiden up to bed.

"Why did you kick me?" Cam asked as they put in the DVD.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Cam, do you EVER listen? When we went with Lyssa to pick up Aiden from daycare at GH I heard that new doctor say she was going to invite my dad out tonight. I don't want my dad to go out with anybody else. She said my dad's a great catch, and I'm big enough not to be a bother."

"How do you hear these things? I never hear anything good!"

"It was when I went to the restroom. I was very quiet. Anyway, my grandparents are spies! Of course I'm good at listening, you dope!" Emma took a breath. She had to tell Cam what her real plan was. "I've been thinking. My mom's been...gone for a long time now. And women like my dad. And AJ Quartermaine was really nice to your mom last night, and has already seen her again!"

Cam stared at his best friend, trying to decide what all of these things had to do with each other.

"Don't you see? There's only one answer! My dad has to marry your mom!"


	4. Chapter 4

The streetlights were still on as Cam crept down the stairs. The iPad his mother let him use (let him use! As if it wasn't a gift from Uncle Nik to him) was docked in the living room. He carefully lifted it and headed into the kitchen, where he sat on the floor and opened Facetime.

"Hello, darling," was the first thing he heard.

Elizabeth's phone rang. Her eyes fluttered open and she reached for the phone.

"Elizabeth, it's Patrick. Can I bring Emma over?"

"Sure," she yawned. "I'll be down stairs to let her in." Pulling a hoodie over her tanktop and slipping her feet into ancient Uggs she stumbled downstairs, hoping Aiden would sleep through the noise. Emma was standing on the porch when she opened the door.

"Is your dad already gone?" Elizabeth asked her.

"Uh-huh, some kind of emergency at GH," Emma answered as she stumbled towards the stairs.

"Take my room, Emma," Elizabeth told her, deciding she herself would enjoy sacking out in front of Bravo and wasting a little time on the internet before she started the routine of breakfast, chores, and playtime.

The living room looked so empty. She should definitely get the kids involved and decorate for Christmas. Maybe that'd be a good afternoon project. She lay back against the sofa. She hated Christmas. She'd put on a good front, buy the things Cam and Aiden wanted, decorate, even bake cookies, but her heart wasn't in it.

Her hand slipped inside her hoodie and felt the piece of paper. The picture AJ gave her. She stared at the Jason in the picture.

The truth was, she didn't know this person, she thought. He looked like the Jason who danced with her at Kelley's, who took her on his motorcycle, who showed up at General Hospital's party that long ago Christmas. But he wasn't. Her Jason never looked this...lighthearted. By the time she met him he'd already become Jason Morgan, seen and done things this Jason couldn't even imagine. He'd loved and lost Robin and Michael...

We were so young, she thought suddenly. I was just barely eighteen, Jason still in his early twenties. And yet we'd both lost so much. No wonder we could help each other when we felt no one else could.

She wiped a tear from her eye. Her whole life, she thought nothing would ever be as bad as watching that garage burn and thinking Lucky was inside. She could still feel the silly little subway token necklace in her hand that Mac brought out for her to identify. It felt like it weighed a thousand pounds in her hand, like the weight of it would pull her down into the earth.

And that wasn't the worse. Losing Jake was incredibly different from any other pain she'd suffered in her life. Her thumb ran over Jason's face. The outlines of her boy's face was there, what he might've looked like as a young man. Tears ran down her face and she slid into the floor, sobbing quietly. It wasn't fair, she thought. Jake should be here, asking for motorcycles and getting ready to visit Santa.

Cameron watched his mother from the kitchen. Crying over Jason. Jason was the only person his mother really loved. He'd never seen it, until it had been pointed out to him. He thought about asking Gram Audrey, but knew it was against the rules.

He wasn't supposed to tell anybody he was talking to his grandmother.


End file.
